behind the scenes we lose our masks
by sad songs on the radio
Summary: AU. Kristen Gregory's suicide note, stained with blood and smelling of rust, did not only explain the reasons for her untimely death- it unveils the real definition of those we look up to, of those we revere: The A-list.
1. with love from kristen

hi. this is a lot darker than i intended it to be, but i guess i'm just in a really scary mood right now &i'm so intrigued by this concept. everyone's always writing about the popular kids as if they're gods and get what they want. i've attempted to switch it around, but i really don't know if it worked.

i'd update my other story but i need to feel in order to do that. i haven't been in the mood to write that and alicia seems to have disappeared for a while. she'll come back soon.

review this please?

i didn't know what to put this under so the genres might be way off. also, this is rated as strong a T as you can get without having to change to M.

* * *

**-behind the scenes we lose our masks, **

**our true selves come out.. at last.**

* * *

[AU. Kristen Gregory's suicide note, stained with blood and smelling of rust, did not only explain the reasons for her untimely death- it unveils the real definition of those we look up to, of those we revere: The A-list.]

* * *

Dear.. everyone,

I don't want you guys to think you had anything to do with my death. I know what you're thinking. I couldn't have done anything to this girl- she was one of my best friends! Well, you're completely wrong there. You were my best friends. You caused this. It is ALL YOUR FAULT. I want you to know that- I want you to keep that in mind as you read this.

I couldn't take the taunts anymore, the lies, the rumors you spread about me. Every day at school, I'd walk in and people would just.. stop. And stare. No, it wasn't because I was popular. They glared at me, called me names, spit. It was disgusting, to say the least. It wasn't my fault you guys decided to hate me one morning. I did nothing to you.

And now it's all your fault I'm dead.

I hope you're happy- this is what you wanted, right? I'm not going to mention any names but YOU said that to me: You told me everyone would be happier if I were dead. Well, you got your wish.

The A-List, my friends, is not what you think it is. It's not exclusive parties and glamorous clothes. It's nothing of the sort. You don't get what you want because you're popular, rich, famous. Scratch out the famous part, actually; the only people who are semi-famous are Massie Block and Alicia Rivera- their fathers bust their asses every day in order to be successful- and Dylan Marvil, with her pathetic mother. Anyway, The A-List? I can tell you who they really were. A group of incredibly fucked up kids who knew the right people and the ways of intimidation. There's nothing special about them. They're just like you. Or, even better, YOU'RE better than them.

Here. I'll show you why.

The Queen Bee – she knows when her kingdom is crumbling. She's known even before you noticed the whispers and what does she do? Fix it, like a good Queen Bee. Good doesn't even cut it. She couldn't fix it by being her bitchy self.. so she fixed it in a different way. Yes. She's what you would call a slut, a whore. Every guy you know, she's fucked. Just to stay on top. Not so perfect now, are we?

The Goodie Two Shoes – this is the biggest lie on the planet. She pretends to be something she's not when really, she gets her kicks by hitting up the nearest bars, get piss-ass drunk and do as many drugs as possible. Her family's just as screwed up as she is- her mother and father own that house up the block.. you know the one I'm talking about; everyone's had their first time there. How did we let someone like this in our town?

Daddy's Little Girl – she promised Daddy Dearest that she would never turn into one of them. Yet, she was the first one who joined The A-List back when they were in middle school. Daddy has no idea that his little princess isn't as innocent as he thinks. Hey, Dad? Why don't you go check out that strip club downtown. Apparently your baby thinks it's "totally in" right now.

The Slut – guess what? She's not even a slut, she's just weird. She's wild, she's got no idea what's going on half the time. Sure, she's considerably normal compared to her friends, but she's got her own problems. She can't stay with one guy. Not even if she loves them. Sorry, boyfriend, but you have to understand. The weird thing is.. he's perfectly fine with her staying with him and screwing with all of his best friends.. um?

Big Man On Campus – nope, he's not dating Queen Bee, just to be clear. He's with another one of these "lovely" ladies. He's not even a ladie's man. He'd rather stick with one girl- which he is. Boys, however, come and go as they please because, as he's said in conversation, "they just seem to understand his needs better than any girl could." Mmm, too bad you can't get your best friend to settle those needs of yours, big boy.

The Next Big Thing – you've seen him around, plays guitar, drums, piano, any other instrument that might get him somewhere in the future. He's depressed. Apparently. Never bothered to question much, never cared. He's got his step-sister wrapped around his finger. They're a bit too close, if you ask me.. I've seen them together at home, at parties- their parents don't even seem to care. He blames his depression. I think he's crazy.

The Jerk – no, I'm not going to say he's not a jerk. He is. He might charm you one second, but the next he could be screaming at you for having one small imperfection. No one he's found is perfect enough for him, and sorry if you think you're the one. You're not. He's got a little problem here, he's a male prostitute. Weren't expecting that, were ya?

Mr. Romantic – he literally studies every romance movie to get things perfect and yet.. he's never into it. Maybe it's his hormones, maybe it's the girl, or maybe it's because he's not who he says he is. He's constantly hiding the one secret that might send him straight to the slammer. I can tell you it- he confided in me. He's the one who killed his baby sister. And just wait. It gets better: He dreams of killing you.

The Man-Whore – the Queen Bee's semi-equivalent, although he's more public than she'll ever intend to be. One problem. He's only slept with about four girls in the grade. He's hot enough for girls to make up stories and he lets them. It brings his popularity up and with each story, he becomes more of a rebel than ever. The best part? He's trying to set his parents up for child abuse. And if you've ever seen them, you'd know that they'd never lay a hand on their little boy.. or would they? You never know with that father of his..

Why am I telling everyone their secrets? They were my best friends. Yes. Were. Past tense. I made one simple mistake- everyone does. A mistake that is so innocent compared to theirs. If you haven't heard, I got drunk, had sex, got pregnant. There. Was that so bad? Sorry I was unable to cleverly hide my secret. You all seem to have that down. I got an abortion, you guys, I went back to living my normal life. You just continued to make me miserable. And that's why I'm telling your stories. I've written them down, I've spied on you. Ever since you kicked me out in the beginning of the year, I've slowly been planning your demise.

Yes, I've planned my own death. I've had it planned for years. I'd rather die young and beautiful than old and ugly- you just sped it along, added to my misery with your taunts and teases. But it doesn't matter anymore because after I'm dead, you'll be known for your scandalous lives, not just because you're pretty or popular or the best athlete in the school. And that gives me the greatest pleasure in the world- sick, I know. Maybe I am as crazy as they say I am.

Goodbye.

Kristen Gregory.


	2. there you'll find the answers

Brightly-painted fingernails gripped at golden curls in such terror; the skin became red, strands of hair fell to the floor. "How could she do this?" Claire Lyons hissed, blue eyes wide with anger. "We _confided _in her! She _promised _not to tell our secrets! Just because she got called 'Teen Mom' and 'Mama Gregory' doesn't mean she can do this!"

"Claire, she's _dead_," Dylan Marvil whimpered, tears falling down her heavily made-up cheeks, "and this is all you can think about? She killed herself with a steak knife and you're complaining about our secrets getting out, what kind of friend-"

Claire's hand, white and pristine, covered in two rings, reached over and loudly slapped itself against Dylan's cheek. "Friends, we were not, Dylan," she snarled. "As she said, we were all a fucked-up group to begin with. Found it kind of odd she didn't have weird kinks- I mean, Massie was new in eighth grade and she knew where to head."

"That's because Massie was a freak since she was twelve and she could easily find freaks with her Freakdar," Dylan commented, "and Kristen was a breath of fresh air- she was normal!"

"That, darling, is why we made fun of her." Claire's smile slowly grew larger, distorting her features, giving her an almost Chesire Cat-like look. Dylan's skin crawled. "Her mistake turned her into one of us. She was the one who saved us-"

"No, she didn't."

"-the one who helped us along the way. And if anyone asks, we made fun of her, we kicked her out because of the sheer fact that she was the only normal one left." Claire sighed, twirling her hair around her index finger. Her other hand reached for her laptop. There were a few things she needed to say. "She couldn't get harmed by our reckless ways again, could she?"

Dylan blanched. "We can't just-just _lie _like this! It's only our secrets!"

"Only?" Claire's voice was silky smooth. "Dylly, do you want Daddy to find out where you disappear off to every night? Do you want him to find out that you practically live in the dirtiest part of town?" She lowered her tone, "Do you want him to know that you're not as straight as he believes?"

"W-what?" Dylan choked out. "There's nothing in those descriptions that says I'm gay. It only-" She shuddered as Claire's fingers ran up and down her freckly arm. "-only says that I..."

Claire's lips were inches from her ear. "We've only seen the cover page, my dear. Kristen's written a novel to take us down and I'm pretty sure somewhere in there is your famous hook-up with Carrie; that little slut- Kristen, I mean- was at that party. She would've written everything down."

Dylan opened her mouth to speak, but Claire continued, "And, Dill Pickle, I'm sure it mentions your cute little crush on me in there as well..."

"I don't!" protested Dylan although those denials were futile. Her face was pleasantly flushed, her gaze relaxed. Claire's presence made her feel loopy and happy and Claire knew it. "I honestly, really don-"

She was interrupted by soft pink lips pressing themselves against her own. For a mere five seconds, she was in paradise. Claire tasted like vanilla and Diet Coke; Dylan resisted the urge to pull her back for another more passionate kiss, that would do no good.

"You don't have to deny it," Claire whispered, "I understand the feeling. I can't get enough of you either." She pushed the red curls away from Dylan's neck, bracelets jingling together. Placing sweet kiss after sweet kiss against the pale skin, she murmured, "Please, let me do this. I'll just tell them all the real story, that Kristen was certifiably crazy. That way we won't have to hide in fear. People understand us, they won't make fun of us if they find out Kristen lied about it all. We just have to get our hands on that letter." The kisses moved upward, towards Dylan's waiting lips.

"I know who has it," Dylan muttered, "my mom told me."

Claire paused. "Who?"

"Miss Burns," replied Dylan. "She was close with the Gregorys and Marsha couldn't bare to read it- my mom had to explain to her that Kristen stabbed herself to death after she wrote the note."

Claire kissed her again. "Go get it," she whispered, "make sure that we don't become the LBRs of our school. We'll read it, you can stay for as long as you like and then we can do things _far _more interesting than this." She winked, brushing against the hem of Dylan's shirt.

Dylan's mouth formed a perfect 'o' and she nodded, leaving Claire's bedroom quickly and quietly. Claire watched her and as the door closed, she smirked, popping a mint in her mouth. "Like taking candy from a baby," she snickered. "Like I'd ever have feelings for Dylan. At least," she added quietly, "I'll be able to get her to do all the dirty work."

Her fingers quickly moved across her keyboard, smirk still in place, as she wrote the article for the school's newspaper- the one Dylan was so against- that explained _everything_. Well, it... fixed things better than it explained, but that didn't matter. As long as Claire and her group of friends weren't laughing stocks in a matter of days, everything was going to be perfect.

_Kristen Gregory: Certifiably Crazy_ was the title.

* * *

Dylan's first thought was something along the lines of _why the hell did I walk when I could have driven _but her second occupied her mind more: The school itself looked terrifying after hours. She had never bothered to stay long once the bell rang at two fifty; she had other things to do, unlike Claire who needed to be a part of every club known to man. Or Massie... who had her own personal agenda no one really liked to talk about. Unless Claire needed to know something, no one bothered Massie with her after-school activities. They were entranced by her woven story of scandal, forbidden kisses and lust, but no one- not even nosy Alicia Rivera- bothered to ask.

The redhead swallowed, feeling her throat burn as she walked up to the school. Miss Burns' classroom light was on, the teacher nothing but a black speck from where Dylan was standing. Burns wasn't that bad of a teacher- she was young enough to be cool, hot enough for the boys to ogle her and understood enough of the teenage life to not yell if you didn't finish your homework. She was Dylan's favorite teacher.

Climbing the steps in the school, Dylan was surprised that the janitors hadn't stopped her before she got this far. They just seemed to be in a state of confusion, mopping and sweeping like everything was covered in a layer of dirt so thick it would never come off.

"Never mind that," Dylan whispered, "I have to get that novel or whatever. Then Claire will like me more."

She knocked hesitantly on Burns' door. "Hello?" she called. "Miss Burns?"

The teacher in question appeared, eyes red and puffy, face pale. She had been Kristen's godmother- Marsha Gregory's best friend back in the day, even if she was a few years younger. Dylan's heart panged. It must be terrible to find out your child committed suicide. She even felt bad that it was her fault... If she hadn't been so taken by Claire, would Kristen have still been here? If she could've gotten to Massie and Alicia- both in their own worlds- and agreed to stop teasing her, would Kristen still be alive?

"Dyl- Miss Marvil?" Burns croaked. "What are you doing here? It's almost nine on a Friday. Shouldn't you be out with your friends?" Her tone turned steely at the word 'friends.' She had known Kristen was part of the same group Dylan was in, which meant she knew they caused this.

Gulping, Dylan decided to turn on the charm. Her eyes watered, her lower lip quivered. "We're devastated, Miss Burns," she whimpered. "Claire's gone practically crazy for the night, she's certain Kristen didn't kill herself and that she somehow is still alive, laughing at all of us for believing her joke. Alicia... all she does is cry. And Massie doesn't even pick up her phone. The last time I saw her she just kept saying that this couldn't have happened to someone so _happy._ And me? Kristen was my best friend! I miss her so much." To be convincing, she let a few tears drop and watched in a sick satisfaction as Burns softened, eating up her entire lie.

"Oh, Dylan," she cooed. "I understand how you feel. Kristen was my goddaughter. I loved her like my own! I always said to Marsha, you know when I finally settle down and have my own children, I'd like them to be just like Kristen- smart, loyal, friendly... I'd do anything to see her again one more time, to figure out what exactly happened to make her like this. She was depressed, did you know? Marsha told me they put her on antidepressants. I think it was the pregnancy scare she had, I thought she'd get past that..."

_Like I care._

Dylan sniffled, eyes searching the room frantically. And there- on the desk- was a packet. It looked like one of the review packets they did frequently in Miss Burns class, but there was something different about it. Towards the bottom, written in blood red ink was Kristen's signature. That _had_ to be it.

"Do you think," Dylan asked, tears falling more rapidly, "do you think you could get me a tissue? I-"

Burns silently walked across to the other side of the room without even dare questioning why Dylan couldn't get her own tissue. While her back was turned, Dylan quickly grabbed Kristen's novel, stuffed it in her bag and zipped it up, waiting for that tissue so she could wipe this horrid tears off her face.

Why would she cry over someone as pathetic as Kristen Gregory? The bitch deserved to be dead. If she weren't already, Dylan would have killed her. No one- and I mean _no one_- spills Dylan Marvil's secrets to the world.

* * *

"Is everyone here?"

"Why don't you take roll call, Lyons," a male voice drawled.

"Shut it, Hurley, I'm not in the mood to play games," Claire hissed.

Kemp chuckled. "I've always loved a good game."

"Then play one with your _step-sister,_ I'm sure she'd love it."

It was silent.

"Now that everyone _shut up_, can you all just get to my house? Now. Pick up the people I haven't called. This is serious. We're going to stay in my house until we're done and I don't know when the fuck that is."

"What's the big event?" Alicia questioned. "I have to go-"

"I don't care if you have to meet the Queen," interrupted Claire. "Dylan got Kristen's entire book about our lives. It's in my hands as we speak. Get your asses over here if you want to see if she really wrote down all your secrets."

The line went dead.

* * *

Claire smirked at the group of teens around her, marveling over their eager eyes and bated breaths. Everyone was accounted for. Alicia was seated in her usual red beanbag chair- the one she had claimed hers in sixth grade that Claire hadn't the heart to get rid of- brown eyes wide, shaking slightly. Claire couldn't tell what this shaking was from: The white papers in her hand... or something else?

Dylan was as far away from Claire as possible, something the alpha was extremely pleased about. She didn't want Dylan any closer than necessary after today's events. She brushed her teeth about four times and showered for an hour, scrubbing off any of the redhead's gay germs. An alpha's gotta do what an alpha's got to do and she was just happy she had this before anyone could read it.

Massie was sitting on Cam's lap which was completely normal, his hands hidden from view. Claire grimaced. She really didn't need to know that Massie was probably getting some right at this moment in front of her... even if it was as normal as her sitting on Cam's lap. The best part, however, was the fact that while Cam had this forehead pressed against her shoulder, she was making eyes at Derrick, who looked like he couldn't be bothered with anyone but her at the moment.

The rest of the boys were lounged about, either staring at Massie or Alicia, or texting on their phones (Kemp) and being unnecessarily quiet.

"Okay." Claire cleared her throat. "Let's get this show on the road. I'll stop when I get tired, give it to someone else. If you don't particularly care about what I'm reading, you can go get snacks or something, but you have to come back. This is crucial to our popularity. I know most of your secrets now that Kristen's goodbye note is in the paper. I could easily do what she was planning on if you don't cooperate."

She smoothed out the paper in front of her.

_To Whom This May Concern, _

_If you're reading this, I'm dead. Obviously. _

_Beneath this page is the story of your A-List: where they go, what they do, who they do. Their real personalities, their real after-school activities. The truth. _

_If you have this in your possession, once you are finished, please hand it off to someone else so they can get the pleasure of becoming disgusted with the people they thought were gods. Or you could embarrass them publicly, like I was. Maybe then they'll understand to never take someone's secret and show it off. Especially when their secrets are ten times worse than someone else's. _

_Now, I'm sure you're intrigued by the descriptions of each one... and you do know who they are if you read carefully. The Queen Bee is easy, the rest... not so much. So sit back, relax, and turn the page. There you'll find the answers. _


	3. claire's little secrets

Claire pressed her finger against the first page of the sick novel laid out on her bed. Taking a deep breath, her wide blue eyes took in the title: _Claire's Little Secrets. _Psh, she named the chapters? That was pathetic. About to open her mouth, the blonde continued to read until her thought process turned to mush. This couldn't be read to her friends! This was-this was _private_! How had Kristen obtained such information!

_Chapter One: Claire's Little Secrets_

_Before I begin, I'd like to explain a thing or two about this chapter and how I ended up with such secrets. You see, Claire was once my best friend- she confided in me things no one else knows, we had our own special inside jokes and weekend sleepovers. This was when we were going into sixth grade. Once we hit middle school and became friends with Alicia and Dylan, she changed. She sought after the power to rule the school and never once thought of our once-special friendship. Now, I couldn't forget something that meant so much to me._

_I tried to fix things, patch them up if you will. I called her up, we talked, I admitted to missing her. She invited me over to her house and we ended up giving each other makeovers and watching our old favorite movies. I borrowed her pajamas and stayed the night. I had to leave the next day extremely early because, as Claire told me, "she had something to do with her parents." While I was calling my mother, I noticed her phone open on her bed, plans with Dylan being made- she'd come over as soon as I left and then they'd go to Alicia's to swim and head off to Cam Fisher's party with Massie after they pre-gamed a bit. The best part? I was invited to Cam's- as usual- but they didn't even bother to include me in their festivities beforehand._

_So... I stole Claire's diary._

_All you're about to read is word-for-word from the pages of Claire Stacey Lyons' private journal. I'm not making any of this crap up. Only a stupid person would complain about the things written in here; something you all know I am not and Claire is. _

_Kisses, Kristen_

**May 15, 2009**

_Okay, so remember when I told you that I liked Kemp? Yeah? Well, I went to his house to hang out with him like he said we would- but really I had thought we wouldn't necessarily 'hang out' much- and his mother let me in. Step-mother. Whatever. He forgot I was coming over, obviously. She told me to go right upstairs, Kemp was in his room. All right. I did that. I just wasn't expecting his door to be wide open (do his parents never walk upstairs or what?) and his stepsister, Olivia, to be on her knees... doing things a stepsister and stepbrother really shouldn't be doing..._

_You know. I left after that._

_Olivia's a bitch. I hate her. This marks the day I refuse to do anything with that stepbrother-fucking slut._

"Are you planning on silently reading it or what?" Derrick asked, flipping his hair out of his eyes. "Come on, Lyons, use that pretty little mouth of yours."

Claire's throat went dry. She noticed Massie send her a spine-tingling glare before the brunette shoved her face against Cam's chest- when did they switch places? She watched Derrick glance casually at Massie's actions, his eyes darkening as he and Cam made eye-contact.

"This can't be shared," Claire said firmly. "I'll choose what should be read aloud and what shouldn't-"

Kemp grabbed the papers from her hands and before she could even "Kemp!" him, he was already reading the diary entry out loud. He didn't even seem to be bothered by the note Kristen left above. His voice didn't even seem to waver when he mentioned the fact that Olivia had been giving him a blowjob. He seemed completely unfazed.

An outburst followed once Kemp stopped speaking.

"You got with _Olivia?_"

"She's hot, man-"

"-is she the one you're fucking all the time-"

"AHAHAHA CLAIRE YOU LIKED KEMP-"

"-no wonder you never went out with me-"

"-that's why we stopped hanging out with her? Grow up-"

"-_that's enough_," Claire hissed. "We are done discussing this. Give me that, Kemp, I'm choosing what we'll read and what we won't."

Kemp let it fall from his hand. "Listen, Claire," he whispered in her ear, "I know you think you're hot shit and all, but I'm not going to let what you did to my sister slide." He settled himself comfortably next to her, fluffing her prized pillows with his hand. "Olivia and I might have a more... _intimate _relationship than normal siblings, but she's still my sister. She was devastated when you started completely ignoring her. And to think you got everyone to do the same just because you liked me and I was with her. That's extremely insecure, Clairebear."

Claire huffed. "Now that is none of your business. I could've easily just gotten bored of your little plaything. How do you know if the things you did with Olivia made me give up on her? There are no other diary entries before this point."

Kemp grinned. "I know things you'd love to know, Lyons," he breathed, creating goosebumps on Claire's skin. "I've got my own way of getting all the info you desperately crave."

"How-"

"Doesn't matter." Kemp dismissed her. "I'm going to sit here and we're going to read the rest of your chapter, darling, no matter how embarrassing." He clapped his hands. "Let's get a move on."

* * *

"_Ew_, I cannot believe you slept with _Danny Robbins_," Alicia shrieked. "He's just..."

"...gay," Plovert interrupted. "Never could change in the locker room when he was around. Always creeping on everything with a dick."

Derrick chuckled. "He had an extra special spot in his heart for you, Chris."

Plovert's cheeks reddened. "Please let's just forget it."

"And that Nathan kid!" Dylan bellowed. "Your brother's best friend. _What _were you thinking?"

"My kingdom was falling right through my fingers." Claire shrugged. "You have to do what you have to do."

Massie yawned. "You guys, can we start the next chapter tomorrow? I'm tired."

Claire smirked. The title before her plainly read _Massie_, as if Kristen couldn't come up with something better than that. Claire could. _Freak _sounded even better than the brunette's name. It wasn't as if Claire was intimidated by the girl, she was ten times prettier than Massie could ever imagine- or so she liked to think; Alicia and Massie were called the Twenty, due to the guys all calling them both tens- and had twice the attitude. She was just an odd kid and Claire was dying to know why.

"Why?" she asked, voice silky smooth. "Have anything to hide?" She pointed to her name.

Massie shook her head. "Just tired."

"Yeah." Cam smiled, shouldering her playfully. "We all know Massie's got some kinks. I'd rather have her cheat on me with my friends instead of random strangers."

Claire's mouth fell open, but everyone else looked at ease. Was she the only one who didn't know this? She'd clearly thought Alicia was the one who jumped from boyfriend's friend to boyfriend's friend! But then again... Alicia hadn't dated since Todd...

"Well." Claire sighed. "I suppose we could take a break. It's only eight though," she said. "What do you suppose we could do?"

"Eat."

"Watch a movie."

Once it was decided that they would all eat and watch a movie in Claire's large living room, Cam and Kemp raced out of the room to acquire certain snacks. Plovert and Josh followed at a slower pace, both checking their phones and whispering to each other. Derrick helped Massie up off the ground, allowing her to link their fingers together and they followed as well.

Claire pulled Alicia and Dylan behind, watching her other girlfriend walk out of her room. "Details, please."

Dylan frowned, twisting her red hair around her finger. "On what?"

"Massie's basically a slut," Alicia replied, talking almost fondly of her best friend. "But she's not a usual one. She loves Cam, she really does, but she's more of a two or three guy at a time kind of girl. She knows secrets about him and he knows things about her that she wouldn't share with anyone- but are obviously in that book of Kristen's- and breaking up with him would really hurt her. They have this agreement of sorts that allows her to mess around with Kemp, Josh, Chris and Derrick while they're together because Cam goes behind her back as well."

"Mmhm," Dylan said. "I found out at my last birthday party when I walked in on her and Josh. You know."

Claire blinked stupidly. "What...?"

Alicia sighed impatiently, tapping her foot. "She does what you do but only with the five guys we hang out with. Remember when we recycled guys in middle school? She basically does that when she gets bored, although she does have a special spot for Derrick..."

"And Josh," added Dylan.

"Who wouldn't?" Alicia giggled. "He's hot." She shook her head. "Mostly Derrick, though. She toned down on all of the guys, unless she's that bored. She mostly stays away from Kemp since he's got Olivia and doesn't like to cheat on her- he told her that he'd only hook up- and Plovert's normally with Skye Hamilton so no one wants to cross her path."

"I guess that explains the looks she shot me when Derrick talked to me earlier," Claire mused. "And the way they've been eying each other..."

Alicia smiled. "She's very protective of her Derrick," she said, bouncing out of the room. Dylan followed quickly, hair now in a braid, leaving Claire alone in her blue bedroom.

* * *

Claire had left all of their secrets on her bed as the rest of her friends fought over what movie to watch and who was hogging most of the couch. In the downstairs living room, Claire reigned supreme, sitting directly in the middle of her second couch, Alicia and Dylan next to her. The boys were littered on the ground, pigging out on a bowl of chips; Massie sat on Derrick's lap, his arms wrapped securely around her waist while Cam leaned his head against her shoulder.

While they were all having a good time downstairs, upstairs, however, someone was inching from the tree stationed next to Claire's window and easily opening it to entire her bedroom. They grabbed the book, deadly smirk in place, and slipped right back into the night.

"Jackpot," they whispered.

* * *

school starts tomorrow. won't update as much. the ending wrote itself. review, if you want.


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